In We, identity is an extension of the state's control. People don't have names, they have numbers. They are defined by mathematical constants and their lives don't extend beyond whatever totalitarian drudgery the state serves up for them.
But as the novel goes on, we start to see flashes of something more: individual identity peeking through that blank, boring façade. I-330 has the best of it—she gets to drink and smoke, after all—but other members of this society start showing it as well. And out past the wall, forget about it! Those freaks out there grow hair and everything! The point seems to be that human individuality can never be totally stamped out, even after thousands of years of trying. We'll never be cogs in a machine, no matter how much we want to be. Tough break for the State, but plenty good for those of us who like our identities one-of-a-kind.
Questions About Identity
- How much of this book is about an identity lost? How much is about an identity found?
- Why does D-503 think of himself as a divided entity? What does that say about the larger world of this story?
- Is D-503's fear and confusion actually a sign of his identity? Why or why not?
- Why does a State-controlled identity hold so much appeal to D-503? What are the benefits of embracing such an identity?
Chew on This
Identity is externally created and enforced in this world. D-503's new identity is simply one created and nourished by I-330.
Identity is the creation of the human soul and D-503's new identity is simply his true self coming forward.